Mass Effect: Galactic Tales
by WittyNameHere1
Summary: There's more going on in the galaxy than just Shepard, Saren, The Geth, or The Reapers. These are the tales of average people from all walks of life; their trials, their tribulations, their ups and their downs. Every person has a separate story, and every person has a separate destiny.
1. Chapter 1: The Schemers

Author's Note: This is my first attempt at FanFiction, so any constructive criticism will be appreciated! Mass Effect is owned by Bioware and EA, I claim ownership over neither. This FanFiction is just going to be a series of short stories involving (occasionally recurring) original characters, please do not steal any of them.

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**Chapter 1: Schemers**

"Keelah se'lai; what am I doing?"

It was a question Kari'Meizh had asked himself again, and again, and again, and again. He just wanted to earn a few credits and get himself off the cesspit that was Omega. Instead he was slowly making enemies of every single crime syndicate he came across, and the dark blue fabric of his environmental suit was slowly being stained black thanks to all the filthy alleys he was sleeping in at night.

"Yo' Kerry!"

Kari'Meizh sighed. The current group of unsavory cons that he now found himself associating with were absolutely intolerable, but the worst would have to be Jack Colt. The human was short by the standards of his species; he was only five feet and three inches tall. The man was Caucasian, with a shaved head, a full black goatee, and the letter "C" tattooed on the side of his head, which he claimed stood for "Colt" yet bore the amateur style of a prison tattoo forced upon someone.

"My name is Kari, Jack. K-A-R-I. Pronounce it like 'Car' and the letter 'E', is that so hard to understand?"

Jack adjusted his sunglasses, that stupid grin was still on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, okay Kerry. Anyways, do you remember the plan?"

Kari sighed, he doubted other Quarians had to deal with this kind of stress on their pilgrimages. His pilgrimage was turning out to be anything but ordinary, and if he kept associating with cons like the group he was currently with, he would be perpetuating the stereotype that all Quarians were thieves, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Oh, I remember alright. You want Creedo Volak, a _Volus_ to distract Aria by _seducing her_. Then, while Aria is distracted Ardon, our Salarian friend, is to knock out one of Aria's guards, steal his datapad, and bring it to me so I can 'hack' her bank account, despite telling you repeatedly that not all Quarians are masters of technology."

Jack waved him off dismissively. The man seemed to put more faith in stereotypes than in facts, though it made Kari wonder just what stereotypes the man was hearing if he thought the Volus were masters of seduction or Salarians were excellent at wrestling Turians to the ground.

"It'll be _fine_! Aria is cocky, she doesn't think anyone is crazy enough to steal from her. We'll pull the scheme off, and walk away _rich_! So rich that you can buy a fancy new suit, without one of those stupid helmets!" If Kari could, he would be massaging his temple right about now.

**…**

Things did not go as planned. Things _definitely _did not go as planned. Kari, Jack, Creedo, and Ardon were sprinting towards the docking bay, running from a mob of angry Vorcha, Batarians, and even Aria herself.

"It's not… My fault!" Creedo called between pants. "How was I supposed to know… That Aria would not want a sensual massage?"

Jack growled, briefly turning around to fire a few shots in the mob's general direction before retreating once more. "Well Creedo in most cases you _ask_ before you start massaging people's chest!" For every shot Jack fired at the horde of criminals and mercenaries, about thirty more were fired in his direction.

"I KILLED SOMEONE! OH SWEET GOODNESS I KILLED SOMEONE!" Ardon practically squealed the words as he ran, leaving a literal trail of tears behind him. It appeared the Salarian was feeling guilt over the fact he accidently strangled Aria's poor guard to death.

The cons picked up the pace, they could practically _feel_ the rage of the mob behind them. Kari lead them through a complex series of corridors, the chase lasted for about five horrifying minutes, until eventually they came across a set of blast doors blocking their path.

"Kerry, bypass those blast doors!" Jack ordered, taking cover behind the corner.

Kari growled, he wasn't sure whether the continued mispronunciation of his name annoyed him the most or Jack's continued stereotyping of his people… Regardless, he did as asked and actually managed to open the doors. The obstacle had given the mob time to catch up unfortunately, and as they entered the private hangar they turned behind them to find Aria leading the mob. She was unarmed, but the look of sheer hatred on her face was more intimidating than any gun the mob was carrying.

"Hey… There's a ship right there! Its doors are wide open!"

Kari looked where Creedo was pointing; there _was_ a ship in this hangar! It looked like a gift from the Gods. It was of an Asari make and model, with a sort of vanity paint that gave it an absolutely beautiful appearance. The ship looked advanced, expensive, and altogether valuable. It appeared big enough to house a small crew, but small enough to pass unseen by larger ships. The cons rushed to the doors of the ship, closing it behind them. Without a single spoken words, they each took to different parts of the ship, working quickly and efficiently, and prepping it for an emergency launch. Outside the ship they could hear a scream of rage from Aria, and felt the quake of attempting to punch her way into the ship using biotics.

"Jesus Christ, how can she get even MORE angry?!" Jack asked, the Asari's rage terrifying even him. Kari looked at one of the consoles, and his heart sunk.

"I think I know why…"

On the console, were the words **"PROPERTY OF ARIA T'LOAK"**

There was a long pause, the booming sound of Aria pounding on the doors was getting progressively louder.

"Son of a bitch..." Was all Jack muttered as the ship edged it's way out of the docking bay.


	2. Chapter 2: The Mentor

Author's Note: Well, it was a pleasant surprise to wake up in the morning and discover two people favorited my fanfiction just a few minutes after it was released! I'd like to thank you both for encouraging me to write further. As always, constructive criticism will be much appreciated! This current story has more of a romantic angle, compared to the comedy of the first chapter. I want to test my skill in every kind of genre, and I think Mass Effect is one of the few series where I can actually do that.

**Chapter 2: The Mentor**

"Hey, Human, mind telling me what those tickets are for?"

Gabriel O'Conner looked down at the two tickets he held tightly in his hands. The Turian shopkeeper was curious; Gabriel didn't exactly appreciate the man's curiosity.

"They're for me and a… Uh… Friend."

The Turian leaned closer, Gabriel was sure Turians had a concept of "personal space", he didn't understand why this one shopkeeper was ignoring it though.

"Is it for that Elcor version of Hamlet? I swear, human culture is trying to dominate the movie business. You never see famous _Turian_ playwrights getting feature length films, do you? It's always 'Shakespeare' or 'Spielberg' or some other human artist. I'll have you know that while Humans were still living in caves, Turians were writing tragedies and epics and…"

The Turian droned on and on. Gabriel eventually fazed the man out; he just wasn't worth it. In truth, the tickets were to an Orchestra that played the Asari equivalent of "Classical Music". He had to call in a lot of favors to get them, the theatre was practically sold out by the time he got there; thankfully he had a few friends that "sympathized" with him.

"Uh… Yeah… Anyways I've got to go." Gabriel said, interrupting the Turian shopkeeper. The Turian merely snorted in response.

"Yeah, fine, you should go. I don't expect _humans_ to give a damn about superior culture." The shopkeeper continued to grumble even as Gabriel left the building.

Gabriel wandered through the wards markets, skillfully navigating the crowds until he could find a rapid transport that would lead him to the Presidium. He was twenty-five years old, and the "apprentice" of one of the most famous Asari lawyers in citadel space. His parents were proud when they discovered he would be studying intergalactic law, and with an Asari mentor as well!

The Asari were famous for a multitude of things, but their lawyers were perhaps the most well known. They were patient and intelligent, yet also honorable and determined. If you could afford an Asari lawyer, you would have literal _centuries_ of legal knowledge backing you, and none were better than Tessia D'Roan.

Tessia was young, by Asari standards at least. She was two-hundred and eighty years old, and had been practicing law on her own for seventy years. She earned a reputation as a young prodigy, quickly surpassing her own master and opening her law firm at the age of two-hundred and ten. Many people assumed she was as hot blooded and determined as a human, but that wasn't exactly true. Tessia was pure blooded, and had the peace and serenity that was considered par of the course with the Asari.

Gabriel reached the law firm eventually. It was the same pure white color as the rest of the Presidium, when Gabriel first saw it, his inquisitive blue eyes widened in awe. The secretary –another Turian- nodded in Gabriel's direction.

"You know, sometimes it's so hard to notice you Gabriel. White skin, Blonde Hair, and blue eyes; they sort of blend in with the rest of the Presidium. I thought you were furniture for a second." The secretary said, though his tone seemed more like friendly teasing than rude like the shopkeeper.

Gabriel ran a hand through his hair, it was long, almost down to his eyes at this point. He would have combed it better, if he didn't get up early in the morning so he could buy the tickets. He chuckled and smiled at the Turian.

"Well Tarquin, maybe I should have your job? After all, I'm much easier on the eyes." Gabriel grinned; Tarquin merely rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, I'm sure that a species descended from monkeys is _much _easier on the eyes than one that's been apart of the council for, how many years was it now?"

Gabriel waved the Turian off, and then made towards Tessia's office.

"Oh, and Gabriel."

Gabriel turned, looking at the secretary once again.

"I noticed the tickets. All I have to say is: Good Luck."

A blush appeared on Gabriel's face, he nodded and proceeded up the stairs.

…

"Now, Gabriel, here's a case I want your input on. A group of Krogan are suing Binary Helix after their research in the genophage turned up little results. What would you recommend? You have five minutes."

Gabriel tugged at his collar nervously. In his hands was the rather extensive case file, and over his shoulder Tessia was studying him. She was a dark shade of blue and of average height and build for most Asari. Her outfit was a formal and valuable looking Asari dress, and her face had it's own unique set of markings. The markings were a multitude of lines colored light shade of red. They appeared to start at the peak of her forehead and then traveled downwards to her cheeks where they would curve up towards her eyes and meet on the bridge of her nose. She was beautiful, but then again most Asari were. To Gabriel however, she surpassed all other Asari in beauty, he wasn't sure why, but there was something _unique_ about her.

Gabriel opened the case file and quickly skimmed through it; picking important facts out of a case in a brief read was a special talent of his. He briefly read the original contract, then spoke quickly; he was being timed after all.

"The contract doesn't specifically promise they will cure the genophage, all it mentions is that they will be conducting 'extensive research' into it. However the Krogan are right in some regards, Binary Helix were _really _pushing the definition of 'honesty' when they pitched the idea to them… Plus, genophage research is still in a sort of legal grey zone; if the case goes to court they may have a judge who says the very act of attempting to cure the genophage is illegal… I recommend settling this outside of court."

Tessia hummed, she did that whenever she was considering something. Eventually she nodded and took the file from Gabriel.

"Very good."

She didn't smile, Tessia never smiled. She always looked distant, at least to Gabriel. To some, it may look like she was perfectly Serene; yet the more you spoke with her, the more it would seem as if she was distant from everyone, perhaps even herself. She sat down, and examined the case, Gabriel shifted awkwardly in his seat.

"You may leave now Gabriel, but I want you to read this file over a few more times; come up with arguments that support both sides and return them to me tomorrow."

Gabriel stayed in his seat, continuing to shift around awkwardly. Tessia looked up at him, it was a dull, un-inquisitive look.

"Is something wrong, Gabriel."

Suddenly Gabriel stood up, fished through his pockets, and held out the two folded tickets.

"Uh… Tessia… I was just wondering if… You might want to, uh, well… There's this concert on the citadel next week, it's an orchestra that plays music –_Asari_ music- and I thought… Maybe you would like to see it with me? If you don't, that's okay but… I was really hoping you'd want to."

For the first time ever, Tessia looked genuinely surprised. She stared at Gabriel silently for a few seconds, it was as if she didn't know what to say.

"…I'm sorry, Gabriel… I don't think that would work out."

Gabriel's shoulders slunk, his head lowered. He couldn't describe how he felt, but he knew the closest word was "miserable".

"Oh… Yeah you're right… Uh… I'll just go now, don't want to… Don't want to annoy you or anything."

Without another word, Gabriel slunk out of the office. He passed Tarquin without saying goodbye. The Turian watched the young human leave, and shook his head.

_Poor kid…_


End file.
